All posts tagged GMC

Old-time pilots often talk about flying “by the seat of the pants.” Now pickup-truck drivers can do the same –sort of.

General Motors Co. said its GMC truck unit will roll out its redesigned 2014 Sierra truck this summer with optional safety featured never before offered in the pickup segment. The highlight in the latest line of safety gear is called the Safety Alert Seat, which vibrates the driver’s rear end if the truck strays from its lane or seems likely to run into the vehicle in front.

General Motors Co. said it is recalling about 55,000 full-size trucks year and vans in the U.S. from the 2013 model year to check their steering columns for a possible defect that could cause unattended vehicles to roll away from their parking spots.

In a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car maker said the affected vehicles may have been built with a broken park lock cable or an improperly formed part called a steering column lock actuator gear, which is part of the steering column’s safety-interlock assembly.

GMC said its Acadia large crossover, redesigned for 2013, which arrives in dealer showrooms shortly, will have a base price of $34,875, which includes a destination charge of $825.

But for many prospective buyers the most important question is: Does it still have aisle seating? The answer is yes.

The Acadia is one of the few crossover vehicles available with two separate seats or — captain’s chairs — in the second row with a passage in between. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this feature for families with kids.

General Motors Co. is recalling 249,260 sport-utility vehicles from the 2006 and 2007 model years to fix an electrical malady that could lead to fires in the vehicles’ doors.

The recall affects a number of models and brands built on the GMT 360 midsize truck platform, including the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy and Envoy XL, Buick Rainier, Saab 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender.

In a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car maker said fluid can seep inside the driver’s door and into an electronic module that is part of the power-window and locking system.

The agency began a preliminary investigation into complaints alleging corrosion-related failure of rear suspension-arm assemblies in 2006 to 2008 Toyota RAV4 compact SUVs. Four of the complaints allege the suspension parts broke while driving at speeds of 35 mph or more, and caused a temporary loss of control.

General Motors is recalling vans and SUVs to fix steering parts that could break and Porsche is recalling sports cars that may develop fuel leaks.

In a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM said the recall includes certain 2012 models of the Chevrolet Express van, Suburban SUV, and their sister vehicles the GMC Savana and Yukon XL. The car maker said a part called the steering gear pitman shaft on the affected vehicles may may not have been properly hardened during manufacturing and could break.

The company revised the large crossover’s exterior styling, adding light-emitting diode, or LED running lights with similarly styled taillights. It also has new safety features including what the company says is the auto industry’s first front center airbag.

The Acadia, which was launched in 2007 as GMC’s first crossover, has ridden a wave of steadily growing demand in that market segment and logged the best sales record in its five-year history in 2011.

General Motors Co. is recalling certain Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossover vehicles from the 2012 model year to fix a possible problem with their tire-pressure-monitoring systems, or TPMS. The recall affects 33,964 vehicles built from July 18, 2011, through Sept. 6, 2011.

The car maker says the vehicles’ monitoring systems are supposed to activate a warning light when a tire’s pressure falls more than 25% below the recommended cold inflation level. IN a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company found that some vehicles’ systems were programmed improperly. As a result they would allow tires to lose more than 25% of their recommended pressure without a warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently posted recall notices affecting a dozen General Motors Co. truck and SUV models, and a Kawasaki motorcycle popular with a range of riders from off-roaders to urban messengers and delivery workers.

GM said it is recalling 6,768 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon compact pickup trucks from the 2011 model year. The recall stems from a problem with some of the vehicles’ shift-lever mechanisms that can indicate the transmission is in “park” when it isn’t.

General Motors Co. says it suspended production at its Shreveport, La., plant for the week of March 21 because of a parts shortage stemming from last week’s earthquake in Japan. Damage to parts suppliers and transportation networks in Japan have brought that country’s auto industry to a halt.

GM, which builds Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks at the plant, says it currently has enough of the vehicles to meet consumer demand. But the Shreveport production stoppage could be one of many to come across the industry in the U.S. and elsewhere as car companies inevitably run short of certain components made in Japan.